RD GRAB BAG

More from Readers Digest (RD)

Language learning

For years I have read that language learning dies as one gets older.  However, per RD: "A University of Kansas study has shown that, given the opportunity for immersive training, adults can pick up a new language almost as easily as kids do."

Then, why am I having so much trouble trying to learn Hungarian?

What did you call me!

If you notice the following abbreviation on a doctor's examination report don't get upset.  S.O.B. is not derogatory, it just stands for "Shortness of Breath."

New word (to me)

RD has a word knowledge test in each issue, and I always find at least one word that is new to me.

This month's new word is "kelpie."

Rd says, "According to Scottish legend, kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits) lure unsuspecting travelers to drown in lakes (lochs) and rivers."

Are kelpies friends of Nessie?  Or, maybe Nessie is a kelpie. Some Scotsmen think so. I read that most of the Scottish waterways claim a kelpie.

Some say that one of its forms is that of a handsome man who is really Satan, and mothers use this information to scare children from jumping into streams and to warn them not to talk to handsome strangers.

There is an interesting painting by Herbert James Draper (1863 - 1920) called "The Kelpie."

Mr. Draper loved to draw beautiful naked ladies.  His work reminds me of the work of Alphonse Mucha (1860 - 1939), but Al kept his ladies clothed.

There is a dog breed called "Australian Kelpie."  It looks like a small German Shepherd and is expert at herding "sheep, cattle, and goats."

TMI?

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